Strictly Business
Chapter 1: Perchenko "How much?" "This much." The diamonds spilled from the bag to the floor. "Diamonds?" Perchenko asked quizzically. "I did not ask for diamonds." "You can look at this as sort of a pre-payment." The suit said. "I asked for no pre-payment. I asked for only one thing." "You shall get your new ID when we get what we payed for, the diamonds are just a bonus." Perchenko stood up from his cross-legged position and regarded the suit. "What's your name?" "Marilli. John Marilli." "Ah yes, indication of your rank. But what's your real name?" "I would be terminated for disclosing that information." Perchenko grinned. The suit was a short man who looked frightened at the very thought of dealing with Perchenko. "We're all criminals. You, I, your guards." Perchenko waved his hands at the two burly men standing at the doorway. "Me, an assassin, you, a member of a crime syndicate. You could at least tell me your name." "Factor has hired you to retrieve the box. Starting now you have two weeks until we hire a more competent retriever." The suit stated very matter-of-factly. "Does Factor strip you of your personality as well as your manhood?" Perchenko walked up until he towered over the suit menacingly. The guards became tense. "Those are mere rumors!" The suit glared up at Perchenko. Perchenko stared a little longer and then clasped the man on his back and roared with laughter. "Little friend, you have nothing to fear from old Perchenko, Factor will get their box and I my new ID. You needn't be so serious!" Perchenko was still laughing as the little man dusted himself off and left the room. "Russians." The suit muttered under his breath, and proceeded to board his ship. Chapter 2: Samus Samus was dozing when her ship blared its sirens. She immediately jumped out of bed, materialized her zero suit and ran to the cockpit of her ship. A lone Frerian fighter glared directly at her. Before Samus had time to react, two things happened. Hunter missiles streamed out of the Frerian's ship, and a message was broadcasted on an unsecure frequency in the direction of the nearest Frerian-controlled planet. Her ship translated the message as "The Artifact has been located, The Hunter is present". Samus had no time to raise her shields and the missiles impacted. Hard. Her ship plummeted towards the planet Tuyrand, where it crashed miserably into some nearby plains. Samus brushed herself off, she noted that she had a sprained ankle, but nothing too bad. She wandered unsteadily up to the cockpit and ran a status diagnostic. Her gunship was already repairing itself and the diagnostic told her that the engines would be down for another week at the least. "Might as well get busy with it then." Samus muttered. She materialized her power suit and wandered outside. Suddenly, the sound of an explosion turned Samus' attention to the sky. The ruins of the Frerian fighter were plummeting downward. The culprit of the destruction came in a pair. Samus didn't immediately recognize the clan that the ships belonged to, but they bore the markings of the Vern Spatios Allegiance. That limited it down to three clans, two of which were cowards. By process of elimination Samus figured the ships to belong to the Traxions. She hated Traxions. One fighter was bound earthward, aimed just beyond the mountains in the distance. It wouldn't be the first time she'd trekked long distances, Samus thought, and head on her way. Chapter 3: Colloid My master is not pleased. I serve him as I used to serve that other. That figure, the one that I respected. Who was that figure? A shock. My master tells me not to let my mind wander. Fury now. How can my master treat its only loyal servant so? Another shock. The reply to my question: because I am nothing special. There were others before, there will be others when my service ends. I am a tool. Remorse now. My master approves. Starships approach, we must leave soon. Or so my master tells me. I groan, "soon" meant a couple of years. So short, and I had just woken up! Couldn't my master have woken me up earlier? Was my master not considerate in the least? A third shock now rivets my body. Such disrespect, such insolence. I apologize. I am just tired I plead. My master informs me of a shocking news. "Soon" in this case does not mean years. It doesn't even mean months. It means weeks. Weeks and days. I feel poorly, but something must be making my master afraid. Again, a shock. Nobody scares my master. I get to my feet and pick up my master. Now we walk. Walking further into the cave, I hear a sound. A sound I have heard before. My mind wanders back to that figure. That shadowy figure. I regain my attention and fatigue overtakes me. It will be many miles to the ship. Many miles indeed. Chapter 4: Jon >>LOGIN >>Enter Senate Username >>Chairman Jonathan Adams >>Enter Senate ID >>395072605 >>Enter Senate Passcode >>*********** >>Welcome, Jonathan. >>ACCESS: Log Entry 1532 The Senate is in an outrage. How can I ever hope to keep the peace in times like this? How can I ever hope to hold down the eruption thats bubbling in that senate room right now? What I am going to do.. well it may be the end of my career. A large energy spike was received by many advanced civilizations today. An artifact of apparent power has been discovered on the planet Tuyrand which lies in neutral space. While some races have good claims towards the artifact, some do not. It doesn't stop them all from wanting it. I feel as though all of the wisest and oldest races in the universe have suddenly become children again, squabbling over a toy that only one of them can have. The Senate is in a mess, we can't make heads or tails of the claims we have now and a new claim comes in every five minutes! We have some races threatening us with their military, others threatening us with eternal punishment. One thing is clear, should this come to war, even the might of the Galactic Federation will not be able to contain it. I don't know much about the artifact itself, other then the fact that it apparently holds a large power source. Some sources have cited it in their history and some have said it is the fruit of prophecies. I'm not sure what to make of it, but one thing is clear, it belongs solely to the Galactic Federation until a time that we can determine the true owner. That is why I am instating Act 38 of the Galactic Federation Code of Honor. Act 38 states that the Federation has the right to claim temporary ownership of a disputed object or land. Any race that comes between us is liable for war. The Senate will not like this but I am not there to please them and I will not let them deter me. I must be going now. >>Goodbye, Jonathan. >>LOGOUT Chapter 5: King King pulled at his straps. They were bugging him. Every time, right before a flight, Davis King felt the full pressure of what exactly was ahead of him. Sometimes it was just a training flight, other times it was military maneuvers, from the greatest of stresses to the least, King always felt restless before a flight. As a fighter on the Galactic Federation dreadnought G.F.S. Exile King was one of the many pilots ready to enforce the full statements of Act 38. The countdown starts. 5'' ''4 3'' ''2 1'' ''Launch The nervousness, the fear. It all disappears. Replaced with a sense of repetition. He knows how to do this, he has done it a thousand times before. When he makes it into space, he marvels at the stars. He marvels at the planets. He marvels at all the ships forming a ring around planet Tuyrand, King knows debris will soon litter the atmosphere, no matter what the commander assures. "King, your squad is waiting." A voice over the comm reminds him. King flies his fighter over to where the rest of the squad is scrambling around. He opens up his communicator to the grey squad channel. The frequency quiets when King begins to speak. "Nobody fires. Nobody moves. Nobody so much as speaks without my command. Understand?" Agreement is murmured by all the fighters in his squad. This was a delicate situation, it had to be taken seriously, thankfully King was always a serious man. "Grey squad, your turn to move in." The voice over the comm said. "You heard the man, move!" Said King. Slowly, King's squad edged to the outer edge of the convoy of ships surrounding the planet. Just as King was starting to relax about things, the first shot was fired. Chapter 6: The Condemned I am the condemned. I stood before the court once, pleading forgiveness. That was before I realized that the trial was a farce, the verdict was already made. I committed no crimes that those who sit the high bench have not already committed. Yet I am still accused of treason, murder, and a list of other crimes of which I am innocent. My name is lost to me for I have stayed in these cells too long. Condemned to die. I am trapped within my cell and hardly fed for periods of time until the court brings me forward again and makes a mockery of my name. They have their verdict, but they need mine. They would have me confess but I will not give them it. I am brought before the high court continuously, they ask me if I wish to confess. I must shake my head yes or no. Always no. They don't let me speak anymore, after the day I realized exactly what kind of show they were putting on. I remember the day fondly. "Will you confess?" The judge gave me his usual glare. I was seething at this point, and tired of the stares they were giving me. They looked at me as a man looked at a naughty child, trying to get him to realize what he did was wrong. "Who are you, judge who sits so high? Who are you who wears the crimson? Who are you who condemns us below, and grows rich off of our corpses!" I leapt at the man, but sadly I can not leap high in manacles. "GOD WILL DAMN YOU!" I had shouted over and over as the guards dragged me out of the court. "GOD WILL DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!" Today is the last day. I will confess... or I will die. If I confess they promise to send me to a work camp where I will be able to spend the rest of my days contributing to society. If I do not confess, I will die. I have no fear now. I know what awaits me in the court. People turn their head to watch me shamble through the rows as I make my way to the front of the court. The fat man on the high bench grows red with anger as his eyes meet mine. "Sir. I will have your confession from you now! Will you give it?" The court grows eerily quiet, all the eyes are on me. "SIR! Will you confess?" I stare at him long and hard. I motion to the guard to take the mouth restrictor off of me. He looks for approval from the judge and, sighing, the judge gives it. "Your Honor, remember this day, remember it well. We will meet again some day, and when we do then I will truly become a murderer." With this an uproar came from the stands behind me. I gave the judge my most wicked smile, missing teeth and all. "SILENCE!" "ORDER IN THE COURT!'" The judge yelled... And then the doors burst open. People begin to scream. I am knocked to the floor before can I turn around and see what has caused the commotion. As I am on the ground, I am sprayed with blood as the body of my guard comes crashing down beside me. Struggling to get to my feet, I turned around and saw three people in armor which concealed their faces shooting wildly around the court. The guards were dead, or had yielded to these new intruders. The one in the middle walked over to me and yanked me to my feet. "Get up" he said "We have work to do."